Last year LAC's membership surpassed 200 swimmers for the first time in our history. This year our ranks have increased yet again, with 230 swimmers currently in the water and more yet eager to experience our great sport and great club. We have over 50 first-time LAC'ers, and energetic, enthusiastic, experienced coaches who will do everything they can to help everyone achieve their goals. We encourage all parents, but particularly those newer to the sport and club, to direct any swimming-related questions to your child's coach, we are more than happy to discuss your swimmer's progress at any stage of the season. Our club time trial this Sunday morning and the banquet to follow on Sunday night will be great opportunities to get a sense of the swim meet experience and the great heights achieved by our swimmers in the 2012-13 year. We are more excited than ever before, with so many enthusiastic, hard-working young athletes in our ranks, to create even more great memories, in the pool and out, as we move into Year 2 of the next Olympic quadrennial.

PARENT INFORMATION MEETING

LAC will be hosting a parent information session on Saturday, October 19thfrom 12:00 to 1:00 pm at CGAC. The purpose of the meeting is to introduce parents to the club and to provide key information on what you can expect over the next 10 months, including

overview of the swim season – club events, time trials, swim meets, clinics, and camps

overview of club structure – who does what

how to navigate the LAC web site

club fees and payment options

volunteer opportunities and expectations

opportunity to ask questions and get answers

Who should attend? Parents new to the club and returning parents requiring information or clarification on any of the above.

2013 ANNUAL LAC AWARDS BANQUET

Our annual awards banquet will take place Sunday, October 20, 2013 at the Greek Canadian Club on Sarnia Road. The banquet is open to all swimmers and parents and is a great opportunity to welcome our newest team members and to recognize the hard work and achievements of our swimmers from the past season. Please see the events section on our website for further details or contact: Cindy Salmon @ cbsalmon@rogers.com or 519-474-3813

***PLEASE CONFIRM YOUR ATTENDANCE by Tuesday, October 15th 2013 - Under Current and Upcoming Events Tab found on the LAC Website****

LAC EQUIPMENT

Personalized Items- I will be at the Time Trial this Sunday with Hoodies and warm up suits for swimmers to try on and order. I will also be taking orders for backpacks and towels at this time. These items will be ready in time for Christmas should you be looking for Christmas gifts. This may be the only order for personalized items until the new year so do not miss out!

Practice Equipment- If anyone is in need of a team suit, LAC swim cap or any practice equipment (fins, snorkel, pull buoy, hand paddles, mesh equipment bag) at any time please email Mary Allen at marydan@bigbill.caand we can make arrangement for payment and pickup/delivery.

EQUIPMENT SWAP

If you are interested in selling or purchasing used fins, paddles, pull buoys, etc. please check out the Facebook group created by Pat Lemon. Follow the link for further details:

Full Kitchen Facilities in all rooms & use of BBQ in courtyard. Breakfast included each day

Booking Deadline: Oct. 11, 2013

Group Code: LAC

OFFICIALS REPORT

Please note the Ontario Swim Officials Association (OSOA) deactivates all but the most heavily used officials’ accounts over the summer each year. This is so that truly inactive officials will eventually be dropped from the online registry. Reactivating is a simple process done from the normal logon page https://www.swimmingofficials.com/registration/Account/Login.aspx .

Most accounts have now been reactivated but some have not. The primary reason for this is that there is no email address on the account. OSOA requires that all accounts have a unique and valid email address. Duplicate email addresses have been removed from one of the accounts, and each email address has been tested to determine if messages are being received. If you have not reactivated your account please do so and if you have problems doing so please confirm that the account has a valid email address on it. Your OSOA account is how we confirm your qualifications to officiate and also how we know that you have taken the mandatory timer clinic.

Time Trial Sign-ups – A new position has been added to the sign up page for ‘Strokes and Turns – Beginner’. This position is reserved for people who are NOT comfortable doing this job on their own, have limited experience, and would like some mentorship. You ARE still required to take the Strokes and Turns clinic, online or at a live clinic, prior to doing this job because you may actually be making some calls and must be qualified to do so.

The OSOA.CAweb clinics are available for anyone who is interested. If you would like more information on how to take the online clinics just ask.

Until I run out, each week a summary of available volunteer positions will be highlighted in the newsletter. Please refer to earlier newsletters for information on other volunteer positions.

Volunteer Position Summary: LAC Board Of Directors

LAC is a not for profit organization run by a volunteer board of directors made up of club members. The board consists of executive positions such as President, Vice President, and Treasurer. There are at large positions filled by board members responsible for various committees such as membership, officials, equipment, fundraising, meet management, etc. We meet approximately 8 times a year. Each June nominations are taken for election to the LAC Board. If you have an interest in volunteering on the Board then please contact me. If you want to know who is currently serving on the LAC Board just log on to the LAC site, access the Parent Info tab at the top right, and then click on Board Members from the drop down. As always, if you have any questions about this or any LAC related topic, just ask.